


Two Years Since

by a_silhouette_against_the_stars



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, In Love, M/M, reunited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26686249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_silhouette_against_the_stars/pseuds/a_silhouette_against_the_stars
Summary: Today marks the day that, two years ago, Number 6 was destroyed, Safu died, Karan was reunited with Shion, and Nezumi left Shion, with no hint as to when he would return. Life has gone on since then, but Shion still misses the man he loves. Will Shion ever see Nezumi again, or did they go their separate ways for good?
Relationships: Nezumi & Shion (No. 6), Nezumi/Shion (No. 6)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

Shion never had the words to describe how he felt staring at the tiny grave, marked only with a misshapen rock next to his mother's new home. Every time he even glanced at it, Shion felt like he was back there, witnessing everything all over again. Feeling Nezumi tug him away from his closest friend, frantically trying to think of any way to save her, Safu's life slipping through his grasp. 

  
The grave was terribly small, Shion thought. So small, for someone who had such an immeasurable impact on his life. 

  
It was hard to believe that it had been two years. Two painstaking years, without Nezumi or Safu by his side. Two years since the fall of Number 6. At least Shion had been reunited with his mother, Karan, who was somehow still able to continue her bakery outside of 6. Though there seemed to be a lack of fresh ingredients, Karan was still able to create mouthwatering pastries that Rikiga quickly became rather addicted to. And Shion still had some friends, he supposed; Dog Keeper had allowed Shion to stay at their hotel for a bit, before Shion decided to set out on his own. Shockingly enough, Dog Keeper had also become a parent, raising the orphaned boy Shion had saved all those years ago. They named him Nicky, for reasons unknown. 

  
It seemed that, for the most part, people had adjusted to this new way of life the destruction of 6 brought about well enough. There had been a unanimous agreement between the former people of 6 and those who lived on the outside of the city that further tension between the groups would not benefit either party, and thus, every one tried their hardest to get along. Of course, there were still minor skirmishes here and there, but nothing major. 

  
Shion found himself, on days like this -- the anniversary of the wall being destroyed -- becoming increasingly lost in thought. Wondering how Nezumi was, what Safu would say if she saw him now, if he could've done anything differently. His mom said it was unhealthy to spend too much time dwelling on the past, but he couldn't help it. Shion still had so many questions. 

  
Well... Shion did now know the answer to one question, at least. During the first few months after the collapse of 6, Shion had found himself pondering just what it was that he felt for Nezumi. Was Nezumi just a friend? Were they close? Why did Shion's heart pound so rapidly in his chest whenever Nezumi was nearby? After several talks with his mom, who was beyond supportive of her son, Shion now fully knew who Nezumi was to him. Nezumi was a man that he loved with every fiber of his being. The only issue now was the fact that Nezumi seemed to have dissolved into thin air, with no hint at reappearing any time soon. 

  
In order to pass time in the hopes that Nezumi would return quicker, and because Shion felt he couldn't stay at Dog Keeper's hotel forever, Shion figured it was about time for him to pursue his own path in life. He got a small flat in the newly-rebuilt city and started working as a therapist, helping those who didn't know what to do in this new era. Shion found out he truly had a passion for helping people, and turns out, there were plenty of people who needed to be helped. Plus, Karan's bakery was just a few blocks away, so he could visit his mom fairly often.

  
Shion soon realized that he had become lost in thought, brain stuck in the past as he stared at the grave. In the time that he had been spacing out, the sky above him had turned angry. Storm clouds grew and swelled with tears. It was quite similar weather to the first day when he met Nezumi, actually. When they were just twelve years old and Shion knew that something in Number 6 was wrong, but he couldn't quite place his finger on what. He was just a kid yelling to the sky, subconsciously pleading for answers.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up from the ground, only to see his mother, a kind smile on her face. Shion smiled politely back in return, but it felt forced. He felt hollow. Karan must've sensed this, because her brow furrowed, creasing in worry. 

  
"It's about to rain soon," Karan commented lightly. "Why don't you come inside and I'll make us some tea? I have a fresh slice of cherry pie with your name on it." 

  
Shion shook his head. "I have an early work day tomorrow, and after that I need to go meet up with Dog Keeper. I promised them I'd read to Nicky for awhile." 

  
Karan nodded. There was a moment of silence as they both stared at Safu's grave. Shion felt so guilty that he couldn't do anything to save her from her dismal fate. At least the grave was a way to remember her. 

"Are you down because of Safu?" Karan asked quietly, breaking the silence. "You know you can tell me if you are. She was a sweet girl and cared for you very much." 

  
"That's... that's part of it." Shion sighed, and he ran a hand through his white hair. His mother had always been good at reading him. "I just miss her. Safu was one of my only close friends." 

  
Karan smiled sadly. "Pardon me for asking, but is the other part anything to do with Nezumi?" 

  
Shion looked up at his mother, and all of a sudden, the clouds weren't the only thing swelling with tears. Karan pulled him into a hug, while Shion struggled to speak through sobs. 

  
"I... I miss him so much," Shion stuttered, wiping his eyes with his shirt's sleeves as he pulled away from the hug after a moment. "Why did he have to leave?" 

  
"I don't know, Shion. But I'm sorry that happened. I know he cares for you too, though. He wouldn't just leave with no intention of ever coming back." 

  
"How do you know that?" Shion sniffled. "It's been two years!" 

  
"Shion, he saved you from a correctional facility. He kept you safe when no one else could. It's not fair that he left, but remember that you're not alone either. You have friends and family here to talk to. And love beats distance, Shion. Plus, for what it's worth, I have full faith you'll see Nezumi again." 

  
Shion took a deep breath, thinking over what his mother said. He opened his mouth to reply, when he suddenly felt a drop of water hit his cheek from up above. 

  
"I should get going," Shion said hastily, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I don't want to get caught in a downpour." 

  
Karan nodded. "Alright. Remember I love you. Stay safe, Shion." 

  
Shion looked at his mother, and his gaze softened. He hugged her one last time. "I love you too. And... and thank you. For everything."

Karan allowed herself a small smile in return. "Anytime. Now, get going before you're drenched."

Shion nodded, trying his hardest to appear strong. Like thoughts weren't racing through his head. Like his life wasn't beyond confusing. Like he didn't miss his friend and the man his heart belonged to. 

  
Karan watched her son walk out onto the streets of the city, eventually swallowed up by the growing sheets of rain.


	2. Chapter 2

Shion tried his hardest not to reflect on the past -- not on Nezumi's singing, or Nezumi's dancing, or Safu gifting him a sweater -- on the walk home to his cramped flat, but it was hard. Being one of the only individuals braving walking the streets during a downpour certainly didn't help. Shion felt more alone then ever. And to make matters worse, Shion also couldn't see clearly due to the rain -- which came on all too quickly. By the time he managed to find his way to where he lived, his teeth were chattering and his clothes thoroughly drenched. Grumbling to himself, Shion dug through his coat's pocket for the key to his flat, but -- when trying the door knob -- was startled to find the door already unlocked. 

Shion sighed to himself, and -- rather slowly -- stepped into the house, droplets of rainwater pooling on the floor where he stood. Removing his soaked coat, he yelled out to whoever was in his house, "Dog Keeper, I don't have time to read to Nicky today. It's been a long day, and I'm tired. I thought we agree on tomorrow morning!"

Alas, Shion's house was strangely quiet in reply. All Shion could here was the pitter-patter of rain hitting the roof. 

Albeit a bit cautious, Shion slowly made his way further into his flat, climbing up the stairs into his living room, where he would meet with his clients and talk about their life and emotions. "If you're not Dog Keeper, and you're a client, I'm sorry, but I don't have any meetings scheduled today," Shion called out, softer than before. "If you're here to chat, I'm afraid you messed up the dates."

Shion thought, for a brief moment, when no one replied, that perhaps his house was empty and that he had simply forgotten to lock the door on his way out. But, just as he had the thought, he heard a soft noise from behind him, something akin to a squeak. 

Shion quickly turned around, and as he did so, his eyes widened. Shion blinked once, then twice, then a third time. For a moment, he was frozen, convinced he must be imagining things, because no-freaking-way was one of Nezumi's mice here. That wouldn't make sense. Would it?

Snapping out of his daze, Shion crouched down and laid out his hand for the mouse to clamber up onto. Shion smiled softly to himself as he pet the mouse, but he still couldn't help being a bit confused.

"Why are you here, little guy?" Shion asked quietly. There was a pause. Of course Shion didn't expect the mouse to reply.

An idea ran through Shion's head. "Did Nezumi send you? Is he nearby?" Shion whispered, perhaps a bit hopeful for the first time in awhile. "Is he... safe?"

Once more, the mouse didn't say anything Shion could understand. It only stared up at Shion in response, before letting out of a series of squeaks.

Rather, another voice responded to the question, seemingly coming from behind Shion. The voice of the person who had saved him from a correctional facility all those years ago. The voice of the person he had kissed goodbye to as the sun set. A voice he never thought he'd hear again.

"Why don't you ask Nezumi yourself?"

Shion took a shaky breath. He closed his eyes, then after several moments passed, slowly turned to face the owner of the voice, still holding the mouse gently in his hand. 

Then, at last, Shion opened his eyes. And, unlike all the times when he had dreamed of him, imagined what it would be like if they were to ever reunite, Nezumi was there, in the flesh, slight smirk on his face and as much warmth in his cool, calculating eyes as possible.

"Miss me?" Nezumi asked, but Shion didn't hear him. Shion was too busy setting aside the mouse on a nearby table before tackling Nezumi with a hug that ended up with them both piled on the floor.

"I'll.. I'll take that as a yes," Nezumi said softly, his voice containing a hint of affection in it. Affection no one but Shion would be able to detect. 

Nezumi's face blushed ever-so-slightly, due to being in such close proximity to Shion. As if unaware he was doing it, Shion had somehow started running a hand through Nezumi's long, blue-tinted hair, as silky and beautiful as ever. 

After a good portion of time had passed, Shion pulled away, tears trailing down his face. Nezumi reached forward to wipe the tears away with his thumb, but, at the last moment, decided against it, and his hand returned to his side. Both Nezumi and Shion stayed seated awkwardly on the floor, mere inches from each other, both full of so many questions but struggling to ask the right ones. 

"I'll go first," Nezumi finally said, avoiding Shion's intense eye contact. "How're you?"

"Terrible." Shion said, without hesitation. "My turn. Why did you leave? Why did you never visit?" Why did you abandon me? Shion added silently.

Nezumi cleared his throat, still looking anywhere but at Shion. "Why have you been terrible?"

Shion sighed, running a hand through his hair in sheer frustration. He wanted to embrace Nezumi, to hold him close again, but... he had to be sure of some things first. And, frankly, Shion was feeling a lot of emotions at the moment, after Nezumi just popped up out of nowhere. "Because... because you left, alright? I missed you." I love you. 

"You missed me?"

"...Yeah. It got lonely, these past two years, living without you. Not knowing whether you would ever visit. Not knowing if you were safe. Sometimes, not knowing if you would ever return." Shion looked down at the floor, at the fraying rug. "You were safe, right?"

Nezumi nodded, and only then did he look up at Shion's face, taking in his whole appearance. They both looked virtually the same as that day when they had kissed after taking down the walls on Number 6, illuminated by the sun. The day that Nezumi had left. Perhaps the only difference in their appearances were the dark eye-bags both had developed.

"For the record, I missed you too." Nezumi said softly. Shion tensed. The softness was unlike Nezumi. Had time to himself changed him? No, he was overthinking things. "Have you been getting enough sleep? You look exhausted."

Shion sighed. "Nezumi, I've been worried sick about you." You left me for two years. Two freaking years, Shion added bitterly to himself. "And you didn't answer the questions."

"What questions?" Nezumi cocked an eyebrow.

Shion was a tad exasperated at this rate, and he felt a stress-induced headache come on. Something that Nezumi would know nothing about, of course, because he hand't seen him in two years. "Why did you never visit, Nezumi? Why didn't you ever stop by to say hello? Why did you leave me alone? Where were you? What happened?"

"I-" Nezumi started, but it was evident he didn't know what to say. This was one of the rare times he got flustered, Shion noted. It didn't happen too often.

"Well?" Shion asked, voice steadily growing louder. Tears still trailed faintly down his cheeks. "After two years, never visiting once, you show up in my house, and-"

"Shion." Nezumi said, effectively cutting Shion off. "I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' doesn't tell me why you did it," Shion said simply.

Nezumi nodded, as if he expected this answer. "Shion... I was scared."

Shion frowned. "Of what? We could've faced whatever you were afraid of together-"

Nezumi shook his head, cutting Shion off yet again. "Shion. I was scared of my feelings for you. That day... two years ago... I risked my life for you. And I've never done that for anyone. Hell, I never would do that for anyone. Except you, Shion. You're the one exception to that. When you're around, I... I just want to protect you, Shion. I didn't leave because I didn't care for you. I left because I care too much."

Shion bit his lip, clearly conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to embrace Nezumi yet again. Make up for lost time. On the other hand, he was still so, so confused.

"Why only now did you show up, Nezumi?" Shion asked, trying and failing at hiding the pent-up emotions in his voice. "Why not a few months ago? Why not a year ago? After Safu... after Safu..." Shion trailed off. He couldn't finish the sentence. And, this time, Nezumi did reach out, stroking Shion's cheek gently. 

"Shion, I didn't follow my own advice," Nezumi said softly. Too softly. It was so unlike him to be this unguarded. "My emotions... they betrayed me. I ran away from you. Like a damn coward. I thought time apart would change the way I feel, but, if anything, it's only made my emotions more strong."

Shion looked at Nezumi, really looked at him, and saw that he was telling the truth. His usual sarcastic smirk was wiped clean off his face, and in it's place was a serious, honest expression.

"May I ask you a question now?" Nezumi whispered, and Shion suddenly became all too aware of how close the two were. Nonetheless, Shion, after a moment, nodded. "Why do you care for me, Shion?"

Whatever Shion was expecting, it... it wasn't that. He froze, breath hitching in his throat. It took him several moments to regain the ability to speak.

"Wh... what?" Shion asked, his voice strangely quiet and broken. "What... what do you mean?"

Nezumi sighed, removing his hand from Shion's cheek, to the other's extreme sadness. "I ran away from you. I was gone for two years, and I'll be damned if that isn't a long time. I... you're right. I should've returned sooner. I wanted to explore, to see what else was out there. Which, and I know this doesn't make up for anything at all, but there's so much more that exists in this world then we could have ever dreamed of. Whatever others told us, they're wrong. There's... there's more out there, Shion. More people, more towns, more places to see. I have so much to tell you. So much happened in these past two years. But... I... you just have every right to hate me. If you want me to walk out that door right now and never come back, I... I will."

Shion shook his head. He stood up suddenly and began to stroll aimlessly around his apartment. While he did so, Shion massaged his head, willing his brain to think straight.

"You want to know why I didn't move on? Why I didn't stop thinking of you? Why I care for you?" Shion muttered, more talking to himself than Nezumi. His voice grew steadily louder, and his shoulders began to shake, almost as if he were crying again. Nezumi quickly stood up and rushed over to Shion to try to make sure he was okay, but the other quickly brushed him off. A few tears tumbled down Shion's cheeks as he turned to face Nezumi.

"I didn't move on for the same reason you didn't. I didn't move on because you're... you're the man that saved me from the correctional facility. You're the person that looked out for me when no one else would. That danced with me, that took me in, that allowed me to be a part of his life. I will never stop caring for you, Nezumi. I could never bring myself to forget you, or to stop praying that I would run into you on the streets. And why's that? It's because I... because I... I love you."

Nezumi's eyes widened as Shion's gaze dropped to the floor. Did he really say that? Out loud? Shion began to pace once more, but Nezumi stopped him, reaching out to put a hand gently on his shoulder.

"You... you love me?" Nezumi repeated, as if dumbfounded by this obvious information. Shion's face turned crimson. 

Shion said nothing in reply, still looking at the floor.

"I... I love you too."

Shion's brain short-circuited. His face blushed even brighter in intensity than ever before. He spun around, meeting Nezumi's equally-blushing face.

"You do...?" Shion asked, breathless for no apparent reason. His heart beat rapidly in his chest. 

Nezumi nodded. "When I was away, I couldn't stop thinking of you. Of how you were. Of if you were doing good, or doing bad. Of... of when we kissed. And... I could never lose those feelings. Not even if I travelled to to end of the world."

Shion's brow furrowed. "Do... do you promise if you leave again, you'll at least take me with you?"

Nezumi smiled. A true, rare smile. "I promise. For the record, I'm sorry for not asking if you wantd to come with me. I was too focused on myself."

Shion grinned back softly in return. "We all make mistakes, I guess. The important thing is now... you're back."

The mouse Shion had picked up earlier chose this time to speak up with several loud squeaks. Shion laughed. "I'm sorry. You're both back."

Nezumi gazed fondly at Shion. He took a tentative step forward.

"And here to stay," Nezumi murmured. Shion, too, took a hesitant step forward. Nezumi looked into Shion's eyes -- his beautiful, red-hued eyes -- and then at his lips. 

"May I...?" Nezumi asked, his voice low. Shion nodded, and he wrapped his arms around Nezumi's neck, pulling his love closer.

When they kissed, it was everything Shion remembered and more. It was a swirl of emotion: honesty, passion, love. It was something gorgeous, a bond that could never be broken.

But, unlike the last time the two had kissed, there was not that feeling of words being left unsaid. It didn't feel rushed, or urgent, or full of regret. It didn't feel tinged with sadness, or the possibility of never seeing one another again.

See, the difference between this kiss and the last one Shion and Nezumi had was this wasn't a kiss goodbye. No, rather, it was quite the opposite. 

It was a kiss hello.

When they finally pulled apart, Shion was breathless. But, alas, he felt another question pop into his head.

"Nezumi, I have one last thing to ask," Shion said, now perplexed. "How did you get into my flat?"

Nezumi smirked. Strangely enough, Shion had missed that facial expression so much. "You left a spare key under the welcome mat."

Shion's eyes widened in shock, and Nezumi let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, suppose I did. I'm lucky someone else didn't break into my home."

Nezumi laughed again, and Shion shot him a glare. But his gaze was fond, rather than harsh. Because, at last, Shion was reunited with the love of his life, and nothing else at the moment -- not the rain dripping in from a hole in the ceiling, not the fact that he was still soaking wet and didn't realize -- mattered. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Chapter two will be out soon! :D


End file.
